More Than Friends
by inalasahl
Summary: COMPLETE: Xander sees Willow in a new light when his cousin starts dating her. Schmoopy AU season two fic.
1. More Than Friends 1

Disclaimer: Buffy et al belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and probably a bunch of other people, but not me. I just borrowed them, no copyright infringement intended.  
Archive: Do not archive without permission.

Notes: This was the first fanfic I ever wrote and was written in November 1997, which makes it a second season AU now. 

Willow yawned again. Glancing at the clock on the computer, she was surprised to see it was already 2:30 a.m. 'I guess I can go to bed now,' she thought. 'For once I'll be too tired to dream of Xander.' She decided to check her e-mail and then call it a night. Willow glanced at the screen surprised. A message from Xander? 'He never sends me e-mail,' she thought. The message was short and to the point: 

Willow, Get off the computer and call me. I don't care what time it is. Xander 

The message had been sent an hour ago. Willow sighed. 'Guess I won't get to sleep for awhile.' The she perked up. 'Xander calling me is good!' "Hello," Xander answered. 

"You wanted to talk?" Willow said. 'I didn't even think it rang yet,' she thought. 

"My aunt and uncle died. The social services people in Portland just called us. My cousin Drew is all alone. Anyway, we have to fly up there and pick him up, and make arrangements for the funeral and the estate and everything. You remember Drew right?" 

"Of course, he visited you when we were eleven, right? And some other times?" 

"Right. Since he's our age my parents are making me come — they think it'll be good for him to have a friend around, but I hardly know him. I haven't seen him since that time when we were eleven." 

"When are you leaving?" Willow asked. 

"In a couple of hours. It was the first flight my parents' could get. I wanted to let somebody know why I disappeared and since Buffy's probably out patrolling I figured you were my best shot. Hang on, just a sec," Xander said. 

'Why am I always an afterthought next to Buffy to him?' Willow thought. 

Xander came back on the line. "My parents want to know if you'll keep an eye on our house and feed the fish while we're gone. They'll pay you $25." 

"They don't need to pay me. I'd be happy to do it." 

"Great. We'll leave a key for you taped inside the mailbox. Well, I'll see you when we get back. Bye, Willow." 

"Bye, Xander and I'm sorry about your aunt and uncle." 

"Thanks." And he was gone. ----- Willow walked into the Harris house, and over to the fish tank in the living room. She picked up the fish food and sprinkled a few flakes into the tank. 

She looked around. Everything seemed fine. The stairs seemed to beckon to her. 'Perhaps, I should check upstairs,' she thought. 'Just to make sure everything's okay.' Without thinking about it she found herself in Xander's room. 

'I shouldn't be here,' she thought. Another voice in her head whispered that it was no big deal, she'd been in Xander's room countless times over the years. Clothes and other stuff were strewn around the room. She opened his closet door, not really sure what she was looking for. 

She smiled when she saw the certificate they'd won in fifth grade for participating in the three-legged race at Sunnydale Elementary's end of the school year field day. Xander had gone around bragging to everyone that they would win, but halfway through the race Cordelia and her partner ('who was that?' Willow thought) had fallen over. Cordelia started to cry because she thought she had gotten grass in her hair. Her partner was so determined to win, he got up and kept going, doggedly dragging a loudly protesting Cordelia. She and Xander had started to giggle so badly they fell over and became hopelessly entangled. They came in dead last. 

Willow's smile faded as she caught a picture of Xander and Jesse out of the corner of her eye. A guilty feeling crept over her. 'I shouldn't be here,' she thought again. 'I'm snooping.' But still she found herself walking over to Xander's pillow and picking it up. She imagined that it smelled like Xander. She imagined Xander's lips coming down on hers, and then . . . 

An embarrassed blush crept over Willow's face and she hurriedly moved to his desk. 'Buffy would tell me to get over it,' Willow thought. 'Either I've got to stop thinking about Xander or I've got to tell him how I feel.' 

It was the picture of Buffy in his top-drawer that sent her running from the room. 


	2. More Than Friends 2

Disclaimer: Buffy et al belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and probably a bunch of other people, but not me. I just borrowed them, no copyright infringement intended.  
Archive: Do not archive without permission.

Notes: This was the first fanfic I ever wrote and was written in November 1997, which makes it a second season AU now. 

Buffy came into the library. School wouldn't start for another half-hour. "So, Willow, is Xander around?" 

"No," Willow replied, "Is he back?" 

"He didn't call you?" Buffy looked uncomfortable. "He called me last night, I guess I just assumed he called you too." At Willow's crestfallen expression, Buffy hastily began to make excuses. 

'Open mouth, insert foot,' she thought. "I'm sure he meant to, but he probably got caught up in helping his cousin move in." 

Willow smiled weakly. "He didn't run out of time to call you. And if he was home, why didn't he come over this morning? We usually walk to school together." 

Buffy put her arm around Willow's shoulder. "Come on, Will, it's not like Xander has a real good short-term memory. He does tend to get caught up in things. He probably needed some time to talk to his cousin. Besides if Xander's going to continue to play clueless and dense, then I think you should write him off. There are a lot of cute guys in this school who are probably dying to ask out the brainy, beautiful Ms. Rosenberg, but are just too shy without encouragement. 

"Yeah, right," Willow said. 

Their conversation was cut short when a voice came from the door."Did everyone miss me?" Xander said as he walked in, followed by a tall boy with sandy hair and more than his share of good looks. 

"Hi, Xander," Willow said shyly, wishing she had known to do something a little special with her appearance as she caught the look Xander gave Buffy. 

"So, you gonna introduce us?" Buffy said, snapping Xander out of his drool-producing fantasies. 

"Oh, yeah. This is my cousin Drew. Drew, this is Buffy and you already know Willow," Xander said. 

"Hi," Drew said smiling and holding out his hand. 

'Wow,' Willow thought, 'He's even cuter when he smiles.' The thought sent a guilty twinge through her. 

"Well, we've got to go guys, I just wanted to say hi and make sure Mr. Giles didn't need any help," Xander said, choosing his words carefully for Drew's ears. 

"No, everything's fine. He's just up in the stacks re-shelving books," Buffy said. 

"Okay, well then, I've got to get Drew registered for school," Xander said, and the two boys left. 

"What a hottie," Buffy said. 

"Buffy!" Willow said, "You're sorta going out with Angel." 

"Well, I can still look, can't I? Although, I have to say Drew seems to be more you're type than mine. He's got the same conservative, undaring look in clothing that you've carried to an art form. As for looksÑall the best parts of Xander mixed with Brad Pitt." 

"You think my clothes are boring?" 

"Not boring, just undaring. I mean you looked great at Halloween and you totally covered it up with that sheet." 

Giles came down from the stacks. "Hadn't you better get to class? School started five minutes ago." 

"Great," Buffy said. "Like Mr. Gertz needs an excuse to put me on his hit list." The two girls scampered off, but Giles had already forgotten about them, intent as he was reading the latest prophecy in the Codex. ----- It was lunch time. Buffy, Xander, Willow and Drew were eating lunch. The conversation was a bit strained. There wasn't much the group could talk about. Every time Buffy or the Slayerettes brought up a topic it started to veer into vampire territory and the conversation would be broken off with an embarrassed pause. 

Drew didn't notice, except to note that Willow had a very attractive blush. The situation was all a little unreal for him. Less than two weeks ago he had been living in Portland with his parents. Now they were dead ('don't think about it') and he was sleeping on Xander's floor. He shook himself, he hoped they didn't think he was a space cadet or rude, because he hadn't been listening. He needed to make a good impression if he was going to live here. "So, what I do I need to know to survive the halls of Sunnydale High School?" Drew asked, praying no one had already spoken about something similar. 

Xander smiled, "Well as a macho, manly man with the Harris genes, all you really need to know is that cheerleading practice is right after school outside on the track." "Ouch," Xander yelped when Buffy lightly punched him in the arm. They all laughed and the awkwardness was forgotten. ----- Willow looked out of the window towards the end of class to see Drew walking away. 'I wonder where he's going?' As soon as the bell rang she hurried out of class. Immediately, she strode out in the direction Drew had left. She found him sitting at a bus stop two blocks away, thank goodness she had her free. 

"Drew?" She asked uncertainly as she walked up. 

"Oh, hi Willow," he said. "I was just uh, uh." 

Willow took a deep breath. 'I should have gotten Xander or Buffy,' she thought. 'I don't know what to say.' "Were you thinking about your parents? Willow asked. 

"Yeah." 

"Can I sit down?" Drew nodded and moved over to make room on the bench. They sat in silence until Drew said, "I miss my parents and I miss my friends in Portland. I just miss Portland. Not that Sunnydale isn't great or that you guys haven't been really nice, but," 

"But itÕs not the same," Willow said. 

"Yeah." 

"I remember how hard it was for me after my dad died. I don't know what I'd do if I had to deal with that and move to another state," Willow's said sympathetically. 

"Well, most of the time I'm fine with it. But it's still so new — I guess sometimes I just need to be alone to think." 

"Oh," Willow said, "And I'm interrupting. I'll leave you alone." She started to get up. Drew grabbed her arm. 

"No wait. Maybe I need to be alone with someone," he smiled, "You know you're much prettier than I remember." Willow took his compliment as an effort to change the topic and decided to play along with it. 

"Well, I should hope so, now that I don't have braces," she said. 

"Remember how Xander dumped that bottle of ketchup on me when I teased you about them?" Drew said. Willow laughed. "At the time, I just thought he was weird for wanting to hang out with a girl, but I suppose he probably just had a crush on you." 

Willow blushed, 'If only,' she thought. Drew continued on, sharing reminisces from the few summers that he had visited and they talked for a long time. Sometimes, the conversation was light-hearted and sometimes it grew more serious as they both shared the pain of having lost parents. Suddenly, Willow thought to check her watch. 

"We've been talking for hours," she said. "School ends in like 15 minutes." 

"No problem," Drew said. "We'll just head to the library and hook up with Buffy and Xander there." 

"But what if somebody sees us? The teachers are going to want to know where we've been. What if they call my house? How am I going to explain an unexcused absence to my mom?" 

"Willow," Drew said, rolling his eyes. "Just tell your mom that I was feeling depressed and you cheered me up. It's not like you ditched school to go bar-hopping or anything." 

"I guess you're right, I am freaking out over nothing," Willow said. They headed back to school, and when Drew slipped Willow's hand into his, she was too surprised to say or do anything. 


	3. More Than Friends 3

Disclaimer: Buffy et al belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and probably a bunch of other people, but not me. I just borrowed them, no copyright infringement intended.  
Archive: Do not archive without permission.

Notes: This was the first fanfic I ever wrote and was written in November 1997, which makes it a second season AU now. 

"The Xand-man scores again," Xander said triumphantly as his jump shot sank through the net. Xander and Drew were playing one on one in Xander's driveway. 

"So Xander," Drew said casually, "Tell me about your pretty friend." 

"Buffy is taken my man, she is going to declare her love for me any day now. Just as soon as she gets over thatÑ" Xander paused, catching himself, "older guy she's dating." 

But Drew wasn't paying attention. "Not Buffy, Willow," he said, in a tone that plainly stated it should have been obvious. "Is Willow going out with anyone?" 

"No," Xander said, wondering why he was suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "You're not thinking of asking her out are you?" 

"Yeah, got any advice?" 

"But, but, you don't even know her. She likes computers. You know nothing about computers," Xander said. 

"Well, neither do you and she's put up with you, despite all your flaws, for years. I've got to look good in comparison," Drew said playfully. 

"I guessÑIÑgo for it," Xander said, not knowing how to explain why the idea of Drew and Willow going out bothered him so much. 

"Hey Xander, let's go try and talk your mom into ordering pizza for dinner instead of Chinese." 

"Okay," Xander said following after Drew and looking a little sickly. ----- A couple of weeks later 

Drew was waiting by Willow's locker when she got out of second period. "Hi Drew," she said. 

"Hi Willow," he said and then stopped. 'I didn't realize this would be so difficult,' he thought. He stood there awkwardly for a moment. Willow got her books and then looked at him quizzically. "Do you want to walk with me to class?" she asked finally. 

"Yeah, uh I mean no, I mean that is, did you want to go to the movies with me on Friday night?" he asked all in a rush. 

Willow paused, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out. "You mean, like a date," she finally squeaked. 

"Yeah, like a date," he said. 'Great,' he thought, 'You sounded like an idiot and she's going to say no. You've alienated one of your best chances for a friend here in Sunnydale.' 

Willow was having her own mental battle. 'I can't believe he asked me out. He's so cute. Why would he do that? Oh, God, I've got to give him an answer. It might be fun, but what about Xander?' Another voice whispered in her head. 'Forget about Xander, he's never going to notice you. Even after Buffy turned him down, he's still stuck on her and what about that mummy girl?' 'Buffy' Willow thought, 'She would know how to handle this. What would Buffy do?' Willow thought back to when Buffy and Angel had been having problems. She had dusted herself off and gone on a date. 'Nevermind that he tried to feed her to some giant reptile/monster, that wasn't Buffy's fault.' Willow took a deep breath and surprised both of them by saying, "I'd love too." 

"I understand, I hope we can still be friends, wait, yes? You said yes," Drew said. Willow nodded. "Yes!" he yelled, causing several heads to turn and look at him. "I mean great, so I'll pick you up at 7:30?" 

"Okay," Willow said. He bent down, kissed her cheek and then took off before she noticed how his hands were shaking. ----- Willow walked into the classroom in a daze and sat down next to Buffy. 

"What truck hit you?" Buffy asked. 

"Drew asked me out on a date," Willow replied. 

"Details!" Buffy demanded. 

"Let's get started class," the teacher said. Buffy pointed to her notebook. Willow nodded and took out a sheet of paper. 

{He was just waiting for me when I got to my locker and asked me out} she wrote.   
{What exactly did he say?}   
{Just did I want to go out, he stuttered a lot though, it was kind of cute}   
{What did you say?}   
{Yes}   
{What about Xander?}   
{?} ----- Class ended way too slowly for Buffy and she pounced on Willow as soon as class ended. "Are you excited? What about Xander?" 

Willow paused. "Yes, I'm excited. I still like Xander, but I can't wait around forever for him to notice me." 

Buffy smiled, "I understand. So when's the big night and what are you doing?" 

"Friday and the movies." 

"Great, How about I come over on Friday and help you get ready. I've got a ton of clothes that would look perfect on you." 

"I don't know," 

"C'mon you'll look great, remember Halloween, Casper?" Willow blushed, remembering how she had been too scared to wear the outfit Buffy had given her as a Halloween costume and then the pure rush of confidence after she was back to normal and the way she had strutted home, sans sheet. 

"Maybe you're right," Willow said, considering. "Why don't you come over at five? That will give you plenty of time after school to train with Giles and then stop home for whatever you need and it should give us enough time to get me ready." 

"Agreed," Buffy said as Xander walked up. 

"What's agreed?" he asked. 

"I'm going over to Willow's on Friday to help her get ready for her date with Drew," she said. 

"He actually did it? He asked you out?" Xander said, he had hoped that since a couple of weeks had passed since Drew brought the idea up that he had dropped the whole plan. 

"Why not?" Willow said, sounding harsher than she meant to. 'Why is it so hard for you to think of me as date material?' 

"I just meant that I was surprised he got the courage to ask you," Xander said. 'I just meant that the thought of you going out with my cousin bugs me.' 

"I can't believe you knew he was going to ask Willow out and you didn't tell me," Buffy said, lightly smacking Xander on the arm. 

"Are you sure you should go out with him? You hardly know him," Xander said. 

That was just too much for Willow. "What? How many people have you gone out with that tried to kill you? How many girls have you lusted after without knowing a single thing about them other than their bra size? I may not know Drew that well, but I do know he's your cousin and you should show some family loyalty. Or is that the problem? You don't think I'm good enough for your cousin. What is it? I'm an okay friend, but a guy would really have to be scraping the barrel to want to date me? Is that it?" she said. 

"No, I," Xander began, but Willow was gone. "What just happened?" he turned to Buffy who was watching the direction Willow had gone off in with a mixture of pity and pride on her face. He thought he heard her whisper, "You go girl," but decided he must have imagined it. 

Buffy turned to Xander. "You're question was a little out of line. Look at it from Willow's perspective. She hasn't had a thing with a guy since Moloch. You should be happy for her, not bringing her down. I mean, it's not like you've got a thing for her yourself, right? It's not like you have jealousy as an excuse or anything." Buffy watched Xander's face go through several contortions as she said the last two sentences. The look on his face made her smile inwardly. 'Maybe he's starting to get a clue. I like Drew, but itÕs hard not to see how perfect Willow and Xander would be together. Not to mention, it would solve some of my own problems.' Buffy still felt bad every time she though about how she had turned Xander down for the dance and hurt his feelings. She was reminded of it every time he said something about Angel. Although, that had long ago crossed the line from pitiful to annoying. 

"No, of course not," Xander said, "I'm just looking out for my best bud." 'So why is this bugging me so much? And why haven't I thought about Buffy for weeks?' "Must be the effects of living on the Hellmouth," he said, "Tends to make you paranoid." 

Buffy laughed and decided not to press the issue. 


	4. More Than Friends 4

Disclaimer: Buffy et al belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and probably a bunch of other people, but not me. I just borrowed them, no copyright infringement intended.  
Archive: Do not archive without permission.

Notes: This was the first fanfic I ever wrote and was written in November 1997, which makes it a second season AU now. 

Willow stared at the reflection in the mirror. "I don't know, Buffy," she said. 

"It looks perfect," Buffy answered. "Drew will be drooling all evening." 'And hopefully he'll talk to Xander, in great detail, when he gets home.' 

"But it doesn't look like me," she said, eyeing the flared mini and halter top combo. 

"Willow," Buffy groaned, collapsing on the bed in exaggerated agony. 

"I have an idea," Willow said, "How about I keep the skirt and wear this top instead." She held up a less revealing shirt that was a little tight and still sexy and flattering. 

"Deal," Buffy said smiling. 'It was so smart of me to put her in that halter top so she'd go for the other one.' "You are going to knock this guy off his feet." 

Buffy spent the next hour arranging Willow's hair and doing her makeup. "Well, I better go, he'll be here soon, have fun." 

"Bye Buffy. And thanks." 

"See you." ----- "Willow, Drew is here," Mrs. Rosenberg called. 

Willow came down the stairs. Mrs. Rosenberg's eyebrows went up when she saw the mini, but she said nothing. 

"I have to work the late shift tonight honey, so I'll call at one to be sure you got home okay," Mrs. Rosenberg said. Willow stifled a giggle at the pointed look her mother gave Drew. 

"You look great," he said. "Really great." Drew could hardly believe his eyes. He had thought Willow pretty but tonight she was well — *Wow*. ----- Xander had gone outside to shoot baskets in the fading light, but found himself repeatedly slamming the ball against the garage door instead. He wondered what Drew and Willow were doing on their date. 'I can't believe she agreed to go out with him. She hardly knows him. Doesn't she remember what happened last time she got involved with a guy she hardly knew? Why is she being so stupid?' Xander checked his watch. It was 10:30 p.m. 'Three hours, they've been out three hours. How long does it take to watch a movie? What are they doing?' A brief picture of Drew and Willow kissing and then ... flashed through his mind. 'Willow wouldn't, would she? But she's so sweet, she might get herself into a situation she can't handle. So what if this guy's my cousin, I don't know anything about him. What if he's some kind of playboy who goes around seducing girls and then dumping them? He moved in on Willow pretty fast.' Xander slammed the ball so hard, the reverberation echoed like a gunshot. 

"Xander, what are you doing out there?" his mom called. 

"Sorry," he called back. He held the ball in his hands, examining where the last slam had caused a few paint chips to flake off. 'Why am I getting so upset about this? Why should I care if Willow kisses some guy?' Jealousy swept through him then with such an intense rush that it was impossible for him not to identify the emotion. 

'I'm jealous,' he thought, letting the idea deepen. 'I'm jealous because ... because Willow shouldn't be kissing any guy unless ... it's me?!' The thought was so new and yet it had the ring of truth about it as if it had been there working on his subconscious for a long, long time. 

'I like Willow. No, no I *love* Willow!' With that thought came another, ten times more devastating. 'But I'm too late and now she's dating Drew. My cousin. Who's living with me. I can't say anything. I have to be happy for them. What if Willow laughed at me? It could ruin our friendship. Look how awkward it was between Buffy and I when I asked her to the prom. And what I felt for Buffy was nothing compared to how I feel about Willow. Willow's been my friend forever, if she felt anything for me she would have let me know by now. I have to pretend I like the idea of Drew and Willow together. But I can't do that! I have to. If he hurts her, I'll kill him.' There was nothing more for him to do except walk into the house and sit silently in his room, ticking off the hours until Drew came home. ----- Drew walked Willow to her door, gently holding her hand with his. They paused at the porch. It had been a great night. They had had a lot of fun and both had liked the movie--a sci-fi action flick with a romantic sub-plot. Afterwards they had gone to The Bronze and talked and danced. For the first time in a long time, Drew hadn't thought at all about his parents. 

Willow fished out her keys. Tonight had been so much fun. Drew reminded her a little of Jesse; they had the same sense of humor. She hadn't stopped laughing all night. She looked up and her eyes caught on Drew's, he looked so serious all of a sudden. 'He's so cute,' she thought, taking in his sandy hair and his strong features every bit his own except his eyesÑthey were an exact replica of Xander's. 'Xander has the most gorgeous eyes.' His lips touched hers and an electric spark jumped between them. 'Forget Xander, this is Drew and *he* likes you.' That thought carried her into her dreams later that night. ----- Drew came in at fifteen 'til one with the most satisfied look on his face. Xander choked, "How, how was your date?" 

"Wonderful, incredible. I've never met anyone who was so smart and funny all at the same time," he said as he started to get ready for bed. "And Willow is the best kisser. Where did she learn to kiss like that? Or is she just naturally passionate?" he said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

"I don't know," Xander swallowed, remembering ... ----- Seventh Grade, September 

"Sarah Martin is so hot this year," Jesse said. 

"She's cute, but no one looks better than Marissa Evans," Xander said, "Besides Marissa winked at me at lunch." 

"Dream on, I hear she's got a crush on an eighth grader. Besides there's no way she's going to go out with you. You've never even kissed a girl before," Jesse said, secure in the knowledge that he and Katy Chang had shared six kisses in the fifth grade. "I bet you don't even know how." 

"I do so," Xander replied, stung. 

Jesse smiled. "You just need some practice is all." 

"Yeah," Xander said, thinking hard. 

That Afternoon 

"Willow, will you kiss me?" 

"What?" she said, staring at Xander as a blush crept up both their cheeks. 

"There's this girl I like and I want to make sure I know exactly what to do. That is, I really like Marissa, but Jesse says she won't go out with me unless I learn to kiss. So I need to practice with someone and you're the only girl I can ask." 

"Oh." 

"So will you?" 

"I guess so." 

"Great," Xander said leaning in and pressing his lips to Willow's for a second. 

"Um," Willow looked at the ground. "I think you're supposed to open your mouth." 

"Ew, why?" Xander asked. 

"I don't know, but I think that's how it works." He leaned in for another try. They passed an hour that way with Willow coaching Xander until he had perfected a technique and felt comfortable. ----- 'I was such an idiot back then,' Xander thought. 'How could I have passed up such an opportunity?' ----- Buffy was on Willow the moment she walked into the school. "So how'd it go last night?" 

Willow beamed, "Great. I didn't realize how funny Drew was. And he knows a lot about science," then she gave a purely wicked smile. "And he can kiss." 

Buffy's eyes widened. "You kissed! Oh, we do have a lot to talk about." 

Willow chatted on about the date. "So are you going to see him again?" Buffy asked, finally. 

"We're supposed to go out again next Friday." 

Buffy suddenly turned serious. "And what about Xander?" 

Willow sighed, carefully considering her words. "I still like Xander, but ... I can't wait for him forever. I know it's not fair to Drew to think about Xander so much, so I'll just take it slow, but I had fun last night and it's nice to have someone like *me* for once." 

Buffy gave Willow a smile and squeezed her hand sympathetically. "Xander's a fool for not noticing you, Willow. You deserve a little happiness. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun." 

Willow returned the smile, glad to know Buffy understood. 


	5. More Than Friends 5

Disclaimer: Buffy et al belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and probably a bunch of other people, but not me. I just borrowed them, no copyright infringement intended.  
Archive: Do not archive without permission.

Notes: This was the first fanfic I ever wrote and was written in November 1997, which makes it a second season AU now. 

The days passed and a month went by. Willow and Drew were an official couple. Xander's usually sunny self became a little withdrawn, quiet. The change was barely noticeable, but he didn't crack jokes and he often left the room when Willow and Drew were together. No one noticed except Buffy, who cornered him one day as school got out. 

"Xander, what's going on?" she demanded. 

"I don't know what you mean," he answered. Buffy rolled her eyes and began to list all the oddities she had noticed in his behavior. 

He looked at her, considering. "I've got to tell someone, before I explode. I'm dying inside." 

"What is it?" Buffy asked. 

"I can't stand to see Willow and Drew together." 

"Why?" 

He took a deep breath. "I'm in love with Willow." 

"What!?" 

"I know," he said miserably. "I've messed up badly. I just didn't realize until it was too late. What am I going to do?" 

Buffy briefly considered telling Xander about Willow's feelings for him. 'No that's Willow's business. Besides something may have changed. She may no longer have feelings for him.' "Xander this is kind of sudden. Are you sure you're really in love with Willow? You've been friends for so long maybe you're just possessive over the thought of losing your friend to a guy." 

Xander looked down, ashamed. "No that's not it. But it's almost as bad. I've just been taking Willow for granted. I always thought that she'd be there. And now half the time she's out with Drew and I can't just pick up the phone to talk to her. And now I can't imagine how I ever imagined I liked anyone else. All I can think about is kissing her, holding her in my arms. I don't know if I can take never being able to do that." 

"I don't know what to tell you, Xander, but I do know you can't say anything to Willow unless you're very, very sure. Because if you ruined Willow and Drew's relationship for a temporary jealous fit, I don't think Willow would ever forgive you and I know you wouldn't forgive yourself if you lost your friendship with her. And you have to be prepared to deal with the fallout if Willow doesn't feel the same way." 

Xander grimaced. "I don't think I have a choice." ----- Drew got off the phone. "I'll call you back as soon as I can, Jeremy. Cross your fingers." 'I have to talk to Aunt Linda and Uncle Jeff.' An hour later he was back on the phone. "They said yes, Jeremy! They said yes! But they need to talk to your parents." He handed the phone over to Mrs. Harris. 

"I've got to go, I have a date with Willow tonight." Mr. and Mrs. Harris nodded. 

"You have to tell her," Mr. Harris said as Drew left the house. 

"I know." And Drew was gone. ----- "You're early," Willow exclaimed when she opened the door. 

"I know, can we talk?" 

"Um, sure," she said. 'Uh oh.' She let him in. "My mom's out for the evening. What's going on?" 

"Jeremy called. You know, my best friend from Portland?" 

"I remember you talking about him." 

"Well he told me that he's been trying to convince his parents to let me move in with them and he didn't want to get my hopes up until he was sure. But they've been thinking about it for awhile and they've decided they want me to live with them." 

Willow's eyes widened. "Are you going to?" 

"Yeah, I talked about it with my aunt and uncle and they said okay. It's great for me. I can go back to Portland and my own high school. I'll be with all my own friends and I'm as close with Jeremy and his parents as you are with Xander and his parents. Jeremy and I have been friends since we were born. Our parents took Lamaze classes together and hit it off." 'I'm so excited I'm rambling,' he thought. His expression grew even more serious. "The thing is, I really like you Willow, but . . ." 

"But you're moving back to Portland and you've got a whole 'nother life there." 

"Yeah, I never meant to hurt you Willow, but we've only been dating a short time. I don't want to carry on a long-distance relationship. I don't want to get that serious about anyone. Can you understand that?" 

Willow smiled. "Of course, I can, silly! This is the best thing that could have happened to you. And we were friends before we were boyfriend/girlfriend. I don't want a long-distance relationship either." 

Drew smiled, relieved. "We still friends?" 

"Of course, and you better call me and not forget about me when you get back to Portland." 

"I could never forget about you." They hugged. 

"When are you leaving?" 

"Next week." 

"What does Xander think?" 

Drew's eyes widened. "He doesn't know yet. He went for a walk after dinner and that's when Jeremy called." 

"I'm sure he'll be as happy for you as I am." 

"Thanks, Willow." 

"Anytime." 

Drew was whistling as he left Willow's house. ----- Xander walked and walked thinking about what Buffy had said. Finally he came to a decision. 'I need to talk to Willow.' 

Willow looked up in surprise where there was a knock at the door. "Drew? Xander!" she said when she saw him standing on her porch looking miserable and determined all at the same time. 

"Can I come in?" Wordlessly, Willow moved aside to let him in. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath. 

"I know you've got a date with Drew tonight so I'll try to be quick." 

"Xander," Willow began. 

"No let me finish, while I still have the courage and the adrenaline rush. I know you like Drew a lot, but I can't stand to see the two of you together. It's eating me up with jealously. Willow, I love you. I think I've loved you forever, I just didn't know it." 

"Xander?" 

"Let me finish. I took you for granted. I always thought you'd be around and it took seeing you with another guy to make me realize what I was missing out on. I know you'd be my friend no matter how many guys you go out with, but I want more than that. You probably think I'm a jerk for saying all this and I wouldn't blame you, but I had to say it." 

"Xander," she tried, but he continued on without pausing for breath. 

"I know you don't have feelings for me, but couldn't we at least try it? You've known me much longer than you've known Drew. We're good friends. Shouldn't relationships be based on that? I promise you I'll never take you for granted again and I'll always cherish you," he finished with surprising eloquence. 

"Xander!" Willow said finally, exasperated. 

"What?" he said, preparing himself to be crushed. 

"Yes, I think you're a jerk." His heart fell. "But, I still like you even so. Yes, we can try it. If you'd let me talk I would have told you Drew and I already broke up. He's moving back to Portland," she took a deep breath. "And you didn't ask but I love you, too." 

"I understand," Xander mumbled and got up to leave. Then he did a double-take. "What? Really!" 

"Really," Willow affirmed, giggling. 

Xander knew just what to say. "Willow, will you kiss me? There's this girl I like and I want to make sure I know exactly what to do." 

Willow grinned. "I think we can work something out." 

Finis 


End file.
